I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of personal restraint and securing of individuals, and more specifically to handcuffs used in various scenarios, such as law enforcement, military, corrections or private security.
II. Description of the Related Art
Handcuffs have been used for centuries to restrain individuals in various scenarios, including but not limited to prison or correctional facility scenarios. Use and construction of handcuffs and similar restraints are well known, and handcuffs are generally accepted as an effective restraint system for use by law enforcement, military personnel, security officers as well as various other entities worldwide. Handcuffs are a standard issued item of police equipment utilized by every major law enforcement agency in the world, and handcuffs and/or related restraints are currently in use by police officers, corrections officers, private security officers, military personnel, and so forth. The same may be said for other restraining devices, including but not limited to handcuffs, leg chains, finger cuffs, and any manner of mechanisms used to restrain a person's wrists, hands, arms, ankles, legs, feet, or any or other body part. As used herein, all these restraining devices will be generally referred to as “handcuffs” and the teachings herein may apply to other restraining devices while illustrated for use in, for example, restraining an individual by his or her wrists.
Handcuffs have for decades employed a standard ratchet teeth type locking system wherein a standard universal handcuff key is needed to unlock them. The basic design of handcuffs has been virtually unchanged for more than a century. Handcuffs are a critical piece of law enforcement equipment and very few viable alternatives to standard handcuffs exist. Although many manufacturers have attempted to create a more secure handcuff, these have largely been commercially unsuccessful and thus the same traditional handcuff style used decades ago is still in use today.
The standard handcuff in use by law enforcement today utilizes a bracelet type design placed around a wrist and secured via a ratchet, which is then locked into place. The teeth of the ratchet engage the teeth of the spring-loaded pawl located inside the bracelet and when the pawl is forced against the ratchet, the two sets of teeth are locked together. To release the handcuffs, the pawl must be disengaged from the ratchet teeth, which is accomplished with the use of a universal handcuff key. The handcuff key is rotated to disengage the primary lock. The design of the ratchet teeth and pawl allows for free movement of a piece called a single strand when tightening the handcuffs, but prevents the single strand from loosening unless the pawl is depressed so that it may no longer engage the ratchet teeth.
Each wrist of the wearer is secured with an individual handcuff, which is connected together via a small chain, hinge or solid locking component. This assembly is commonly referred to a set of handcuffs, a pair of handcuffs, “handcuffs” or any other term or phrase indicating two or more handcuffs secured together to form a unit capable of securing two or more appendages of a wearer.
These traditional and current handcuff designs are extremely susceptible to countermeasures and escape attempts such as lock picking. Lock picking is the practice of unlocking a lock by manipulating various components of the locking device without the use of the original key. For purposes of this document, the term “lock picking” will broadly be used to describe various countermeasures utilized in an attempt to defeat the security capabilities of handcuffs or related restraints.
In general, handcuffs may be opened in five ways: utilizing a handcuff key, picking the locking mechanism with a lock pick or similar tool, slipping the hands out of the handcuffs when the hands are smaller than the ratchet openings, releasing the pawl with a shim, or breaking the handcuff chain or swivel area commonly known as “handcuff breaking.”
One significant issue with today's handcuffs is the ability to unlock the cuffs using a single common universal handcuff key. The universal handcuff key is simple in its design and encompasses a shaft, a bow which is used to grip the key, a single bit or tooth which engages the pawl of the handcuffs to release the single strand and a peg or pin used to engage the double locking mechanism. Due to the simple design of the key and corresponding locking mechanism inside the common handcuff, vulnerabilities exist in the design.
Many law enforcement officers utilize the universal handcuff key for operational and field expediency. Handcuffs are often placed on suspects and custody/care of the individual(s) is transferred to other law enforcement personnel. The need to have a common key is important to ensure efficiency when cuffing, uncuffing or transporting a person whether it is in a patrol environment, the courts, a jail system, prisons, or any other setting. Further, emergency situations can sometimes arise when releasing the individual is required for the individual's safety, and an unusual or remote key can potentially result in harm to the individual.
Due to this commonality of the handcuff key design, suspects and other non-law enforcement related personnel sometimes carry handcuff keys on their person in anticipation of defeating handcuff locking mechanisms. Variations of the universal handcuff key are often hidden and kept by criminals and inmates on their person with the intent to escape and/or assault someone. Handcuff keys have been known to be built into devices and/or attached to designs to be worn on a person's clothing or body wherein they are not readily recognized as a handcuff key. These surreptitious handcuff keys can then be quickly deployed and utilized to escape or attack an officer or other individual nearby. It common for prisoners inside jail and prisons to carry handcuff keys concealed inside their bodies, (mouth, rectum, etc.) which are difficult for peace officers to discover when conducting a search.
A lock pick is a tool such as paper clip, staple, piece of metal, piece of plastic or any other object which may be inserted into various areas of the handcuffs, including the keyhole, in order to manipulate the locking mechanism. These devices are often used to depress or move the pawl away from the ratchet teeth thereby disabling the locking mechanism. Lock picks are often difficult to detect by law enforcement officers and may often be created from items available in the handcuffed person's environment. For example, a handcuffed prisoner may find a common metal paperclip on the ground, pick it up and then utilize the paperclip to unlock the handcuffs in an effort to escape from custody.
Similarly, shims may be flat pieces of metal, plastic, cardboard any other material which are utilized to release the locking mechanism of the handcuffs. A handcuff shim is pushed between the pawl and the ratchet teeth of the single strand, thereby disengaging the pawls away from the single strand ratchet teeth. This allows the handcuff to be opened without placing an object into the keyhole in an attempt to manipulate the locking mechanism.
Books and instructional videos are readily available demonstrating various ways to open handcuffs—even by the wearer. These methods for picking standard handcuffs can be learned and completed with the use of a single hand by individuals even while handcuffed with their hands behind their backs.
Lock breaking refers to a method whereby the handcuffs are twisted in such a manner as to cause undue torsion on the small chain and swivels connecting the two handcuff assemblies. Additional tension is then exerted, with force, by the wearer so the chain or swivels breaks thereby freeing a suspect's hands. Such a vulnerability is also undesirable.
Peace officers and others who are skilled in the use of handcuffs are trained to always employ the double lock bar mechanism when utilizing handcuffs on suspect(s). The double lock system is a separate locking piece or double lock bar provided inside the handcuffs which provides additional security.
The double lock system enables employing a peg from a universal handcuff key to manipulate a double lock bar mechanism, which moves laterally under the pawl. The double lock bar can be set to prevent the pawl from being depressed thereby locking the single strand into place. Handcuffs with double locks have a detent, which when engaged, stops the cuff from ratcheting tighter and prevents over-tightening the cuffs. Tightening the handcuff ratchets could be intentional or may occur unintentionally when pressure is applied to the single strand ratchet. As a result, handcuffs incorrectly employed may cause nerve damage or loss of circulation in a wearer's hands due to over-tightening. Additionally, some wearers may tighten the handcuffs in order to attempt an escape by utilizing lock picking tools or having an officer loosen the handcuffs and subsequently attempting to escape while the handcuffs are loosened. Double locking the handcuffs makes picking handcuff locks more difficult and is generally always utilized by officers when securing a person's wrists or other body parts. The double lock bar system provides a second layer of security to the handcuffs, which first must be defeated prior to the primary locking mechanism of the handcuffs (pawl and ratchet teeth) being unlocked. The double lock bar needs to be moved into the unlocked position prior to attempting to defeat or unlock the primary locking mechanism of the handcuff. The primary locking mechanism of a handcuff is generally a pawl engaging with a single strand ratchet based system.
Another counter measure often utilized by persons restrained in a pair of handcuffs is the use of a lock picking tool to unlock the double lock bar safety mechanism in the pair of handcuffs. The person then generally utilizes the same tool to unlock the primary locking mechanism of the cuffs to escape.
If a suspect restrained with a pair of handcuffs does not have a lock pick or other tool, he or she may still disable the double lock feature by utilizing a technique called an “inertia strike.” In this case, the suspect (while handcuffed) strikes the edge of the double strand of the handcuffs against a hard object with considerable force. The inertia of the strike, if executed properly, forces the double lock bar into the unlocked position. The suspect may then utilize a lock pick or shim (such as a piece of plastic) to open the handcuffs.
There is a need for enhanced security handcuffs which provides substantially greater security and an inability for them to be opened by the wearer. Security handcuffs should be simple to operate, should preferably have a generally similar form factor as current designs, and still utilize a universal handcuff key. Handcuffs should be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to open by the wearer of the handcuffs even if they are in possession of the handcuff key or other lock picking device. Handcuffs are preferably capable of easily being unlocked by an officer, utilizing a universal handcuff key, while at the same time avoiding the design limitations and vulnerabilities associated with earlier designs.